Family Therapy & Parent/Child Relationships

At Conexus Counselling, we value the role of family in a person's life. The interactions that occur between members of a family can feel destructive, or conversely, potentially profoundly healing. We value working with families which may include children, adolescents, adults, and/or seniors.

Parent/child Relationships

Structured family sessions can be arranged in which problem solving between children and parents is facilitated by the therapist through discussion of family goals, building on past successes. In an increasingly complex world where conflicting advice abounds, parenting can be a challenge. Counselling can help a parent develop strategies which are uniquely suited to themselves as a parent, and are effective with their unique child. Therapy often looks at the situation systemically, and looks for factors outside of the child that affect the child's behaviour wellbeing and behaviour. A counsellor can work with you to empower you to parent your child in a way that fits for you, in effective and respectful ways.

Adolescence is a time of transition that can be a struggle for the youth as well as the parent-child relationship. It is natural (though often unsettling) that the youth is struggling to become an individual with independent thoughts and feelings. It is also common that parents are challenged to guide this process by avoiding being too directive and restrictive and also avoiding being too unstructured and relaxed. Broadening our understanding of this developmental stage and how to navigate it can be a constructive process. There is an expectation that the first session occur not only with the teen but also include the adults that live with the adolescent. The attendance of parents at future sessions is determined by the therapist in a collaborative way with the teen and parents.

Family Therapy

“Family” is can really take on many forms in addition to set of parents with young children or with grown children. Family can also be led by a single parent, or even a grandparent or older sibling. Brothers and sisters who have long “grown up” and live in their own homes are still another form of family. Sometimes even people who are not biologically related consider themselves family. Adult children with senior parents often find themselves struggling to negotiate difficult relationships. At Conexus Counselling, we work with families of any type who seek assistance in finding more effective ways of relating to each other.